US Navy appoints first female four-star Admiral in its 238-year history

Vice Admiral Michelle Janine Howard this week became the first female four-star Admiral in the 238-year history of the United States Navy.

In her remarks, Howard said that in preparing for the promotion ceremony she was told that “four-star shoulder boards for women didn’t exist.”

The Army and the Air Force have previously promoted women to four-star rank. The first female four-star, Army Gen. Ann Dunwoody, retired in 2012. Howard was also the first African-American woman to rise to three-star rank in the active-duty military.